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As the old adage goes, it is not what one says, but how they say it that matters most. In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the novel’s protagonist, Janie Crawford, is immersed in a journey to establish her voice and, consequently, shape her own identity. Throughout a series of failed relationships, Janie finds herself constantly struggling against domineering male figures who attempt to define her by subjugating her to a role of silence and subservience. Janie finally achieves a strong sense of self by finding the ability to control her voice and articulate herself openly and with confidence. Through the course of the novel, Hurston illustrates the duality of Janie’s voice - the oppressiveness of her silence and the liberation she feels when she reclaims her voice - and parallels this to her self-growth and maturation. Moreover, Hurston manipulates the narrative structure to reinforce this process of self-discovery.

At the outset of the novel, Janie’s silence defines her as a passive individual as she struggles to harness her own voice amidst the influence of those around her. In one instance, Nanny decides that Janie will be married off to Logan Killicks, and while “the vision of Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree … Janie didn’t know how to tell Nanny. She merely hunched over and pouted at the floor” (14). In using only the third person narration to convey Janie’s inner thoughts, Hurston effectively highlights her lack of a voice in such a defining moment. Rather than voicing her true desires, Janie simply resigns herself to the fate that Nanny has set forth for her. Although Logan desecrates the pear tree, and with that Janie’s growing awareness of her sexuality, she cannot find it within her to defy Nanny’s will. So, in this sense, she has no voice, instead choosing to allow the voice of others to dominate her own.

Hurston further demonstrates Janie’s passive, timid nature through the portrayal of Janie’s relationship with Jody, her second husband, and the stronghold he exerts over her every action. From his insistence that Janie constantly keep her hair covered to his unwillingness to allow her to engage in even a simple game of checkers with other men, he keeps her voiceless and unable to act on her own thoughts and desires. In one particular instance, upon Jody being elected mayor of Eatonville, the townspeople ask Janie to make a speech, to which Jody quickly responds “… mah wife don’t know nothin’ ’bout no speech-makin’ … she’s uh woman and her place is in de home” (43). In Jody’s presence, Janie clearly has no voice and hence is unable to establish an identity that reflects qualities which are uniquely hers. She is defined in terms of Jody, not her own individuality. He objectifies Janie time and again, yet her only response is to remain silent. By exercising virtually complete control over Janie’s use of her voice, Jody reinforces the submissiveness that characterizes Janie’s typical response early in the novel as “no matter what Jody did, she said nothing” (76). Yet, it is Janie’s marriage to Jody which also comes to mark a turning point in her own maturation.

Janie’s individuality and self-growth become evident once she learns to challenge Jody’s authoritative ways. During Jody’s subsequent physical demise, she finally asserts herself to him as he lay on his deathbed, saying, “All dis bowin’ down, all dis obedience under yo’ voice – dat ain’t whut Ah rushed off down de road tuh find out about you” (87). Finally expressing her inner feelings to Jody, Janie creates a voice for herself that reflects a growing sense of defiance toward Jody’s control over her actions. The years of repressed emotion and forced silence are no more as in this moment of blunt honesty, Janie transcends her passive nature to assert a new, defiant identity. Ironically, out of Jody’s death comes Janie’s rebirth and revival of self that allows her to finally establish her own voice and defy others’ attempts to shape her definition of self.

As Janie’s relationship with Jody comes to an end, her subsequent involvement with Tea Cake, Janie’s third husband and first true love, marks the dawn of a transformation in her character wherein she develops a sense of self-awareness and independence. Tea Cake breathes life into Janie’s own voice, as evidenced in a conversation with Phoeby in which Janie asserts, “He done taught me de maiden language all over” (115). In stark contrast to the domineering, suppressive fashion in which Jody engaged Janie, Tea Cake interacts with her in a way that reflects his genuine respect for and acceptance of her voice. It is clear that he views her as an equal in their relationship rather than a subordinate as she had grown accustomed to previously. More importantly, however, Tea Cake does not try to overshadow or define Janie’s voice, instead embracing her individuality by encouraging her own self-expression, even imploring her in one instance to “have de nerve tuh say whut you mean” (109). In helping Janie gain a new self-awareness, Tea Cake furthers her personal growth by forcing her to look within and define in her own terms what it is she truly desires. It is Tea Cake that guides Janie onto the road to self-discovery, but her journey does not culminate with him.

Hurston completes Janie’s maturation process by conveying the manner by which she comes to conceptualize her own voice. Not only is this illustrated in how Janie deals with silence, but also through a gradual shift in the narrative structure of the novel. As noted by Henry Louis Gates in the novel’s afterword, Hurston emphasizes Janie’s transformation “from object to subject” through the way in which “the narrative of the novel shifts from third to a blend of first and third person … signifying this awareness of self in Janie” (197). As Janie’s journey progresses, the narrative structure takes on even greater importance in terms of how it symbolically reflects on her growth. Namely, in the courtroom scene following Tea Cake’s death, Janie’s first person dialogue is noticeably absent and instead replaced by even more narration: “She tried to make them see how terrible it was … and when she was through she hushed” (187). Janie’s silence, rather than signifying a sense of passivity as in the beginning of the novel, allows Hurston to reinforce her growth as an individual by showing her control of her voice. In this instance, it is not the act of being able to speak that empowers Janie, but rather the ability to remain silent as it reflects how, now, only she decides when she will be heard. Thus, Hurston manipulates the significance associated with silence by defining it in two contradictory terms, highlighting its duality first as an oppressor and now as a symbol of empowerment.

Throughout the course of the novel, Hurston uses Janie’s search for voice as a parallel to her search for an identity. In the beginning of her journey, Janie allows the will of others to become her own as her passivity prevents her from articulating her true thoughts and emotions. Early on, Janie is transformed into an object by Jody rather than being viewed as his equal, so it is not until Tea Cake helps her to uncover her repressed voice that she begins to shape her own identity. The Janie that Hurston depicts by the end of the novel is a striking contrast to the one seen at the outset. She is now able to express with clarity and incisiveness her innermost thoughts and feelings, as in her closing conversation with Phoeby, and in doing so finally achieves the sense of spiritual fulfillment for which she yearns.

The war photography is one of the branches of photographic practice and the significant source for the visual history of past times. Soon after its invention and wide spreading, photography was beneficially used for depicting the various regions of the world, where the military operations took place. Though while discussing the wartime photography during the second half of the nineteenth century and despite the special attention to the Crimean War of 1853-1856, in the photography reference books there is no mention about the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The last was another significant event in the modern history and a conflict between two empires, again taking place in the region of the Black Sea basin. The reason of not paying attention to it and understudied visual history of the particular region and time, may well be the fact that the Western European states were not involved in the War. Accordingly, very few materials are preserved in the depositories of the West and it did not get the attention of the western historians of photography. The major part of the photographic material to be discussed bellow is kept at the National Museum of Georgia, and smaller collections of the same content are available at the other institutions in Georgia and worldwide. The “Ermakov Collection, ” called according the name of its last private owner, includes thousands of negative plates and is one of the renowned photographic collections, yet remaining not contextualized. Despite the full cataloguing of the plates, based on the inscriptions by Dmitri Ermakov (on the bottom of the most photos) much about the collection is unclear and needs the work of the generations of scholars for gaining precise information on each image, their subject, date and location. Our attention is now paid to the activity of the photographs, depicting the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and the wider geographic region, where the war theatre took place, also before and after this geopolitical event.

Ermakov, born to the architect of Italian origin and a Molokan (Russian) mother in Nakhchivan, later moved to Tiflis (Tbilisi) and based there for rest of his life, while travelling a lot around the Middle East. In early 1860s, he attended the one-year course of military topographers at the Military-Topographic Depot in Ananuri (a historical fortress and settlement 102 kilometers north of Tiflis, on the Georgian Military Highway), which operated at the Caucasian Staff of the Russian Army. This Depot was open on January 8, 1863 and was the first Photographic Unit of the Caucasian Army of the Russian Empire. Its purpose was building up a strategic visionary of the Caucasus as well and bordering regions, and recording the military personnel of the army, their training activities, the path of military operations, and the daily life of the troops. What is noteworthy for us, the unit also made use of photography for topographical, archeological and ethnographic studies. In general, for every field of social life to which this new tool of recording could be beneficial. It would be there that Dmitri Ermakov, along with his fellow photographers studied and mastered photography. This determined the further thematic scope and approach of photographers to the recording tools. We should first settle on few known biographical facts of Dmitri Ermakov (1846-1916) and other photographers, connected to their activities in Turkey.

Ermakov, who travelled much abroad, also tracked the Turkish Black Sea coast in the prewar period and shot it, as well as the lands of the historic Western Armenia (nowadays, northeast of Turkey). In 1870, he delivered the collection of views, depicting the sites on the northeast of the Turkish city of Erzurum, with its ancient architecture and ancient roads. In 1872, Ermakov took part in the long-lasting archaeological expedition to the Asiatic and European towns of Turkey, reaching the city of Varna. The photographer's duties included the photographic recording of the architectural monuments and general views of the sites. At least, officially, it is true, but having conducted the preliminarily planned military intelligence is more believable. It is presumable, that Ermakov was undertaking the topographic shots for the high command of the General Staff of the Russian imperial army. In early 1870s, soon after the expedition, he sent the views of the Turkish (historical) Armenia to the Russian Geographic Society. In 1874, Ermakov participated in the Anniversary exhibition of the Société Française de Photographie, presenting 17 photographic views of the Turkish city of Amasya. The photographer, at the age of 28, was awarded the medal for this collection and gained the international recognition. This way, by the upcoming War, Ermakov had a well-established reputation of the master of photography. In 1877-1878, Ermakov was commissioned a military photographer at the Russo-Turkish War, depicting the views of the Caucasian Frontline and beyond.

Some shots, between numbers 2093-2198 in his catalogue of 1896 prove that the photographer was present in the regular army, certainly, in the dislocation area of the 41st division of infantry. He, at the same time depicted the ethnographic “types” on both, Russian and Ottoman sides, soldiers and civilians. Other photographers based in or associated with Tiflis, the capital of the Russian Viceroyalty of the Caucasus by those times, were also witnesses of fateful geopolitical power games in the region. Worthy of special mention are Vladimir Barkanov and Dmitry Nikitin who were actively involved in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 as field photographers and whose work is messed up into an entire “Ermakov Collection. ” It was during this period of 1870-1880s that the genre of military reportage was established, and its representatives produced thousands of images, that, finally because of no existing copyrights caused in the unidentified images. Barkanov served as a photo-reporter on the Caucasian front between 1877 and 1878 Russo-Turkish War, creating a unique series of photographs taken on the frontline. In 1881, at the Toulouse Photography Exhibition he was awarded a diploma for his contribution to the development of photography.

Another photographer, Nikitin spent twenty years living and working in nowadays Georgia. In 1863, he was working in Tiflis as an assistant doctor and that is his spare time he pursued his interest in photography. Nikitin served as a photo-reporter on the battlefields of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and he too made a great contribution to the field. He was particularly famous for his military photographs, widely published in magazines and newspapers.

The duties and tasks of the military photographers by the war of 1877-1878 included: the depiction of the military events, camps, frontline, portraitures of the decorated soldiers and officers, the activities of the rear, military hospitals, and prisoners. Strategic cities and their suburbs of the northeastern Turkey and southwestern parts of Georgia (doubtful territories between two empires), were all captured in their lens. As the recording of the real battle (fast physical motion) was impossible for the reason of the technical development of the equipment by those times, the photographers often applied to the staged scenes. The same was with other photographers, not only Ermakov, Nikiton, and/or Barkanov and each of them continued their prewar activities, adding more fascinating, “exotic” imagery to their commercialized activities, as their photos, were overall, in high social demand. Ermakov would have been at work with one or more assistants, as it was a usual practice, he would need at least the physical help while dealing with heavy and uneasy cameras and chemical processes of developing. It is also quite possible that he would send his co-workers to these various places with preliminarily identified “smaller missions. ” In addition, some of the photographic material in the albums also comes from other photographers, from whom he simply purchased negative plates. The result is an enormous photographic informative richness, which can be termed extensive and multifaceted. The main visual feature of Ermakov's photography is the maximal capturing of the aerial space in his pictures that is conditioned by the use of wide lenses and is obviously linked with his background, knowledge and needs in topography, as well as the overall goals – such as collecting data for cartographic and ethnographic purposes. Part of these, served the illustrative material for press and the most, should have been the base for military-topographic maps. Unfortunately, it is difficult to clearly define links between the particular photographic images and maps, but obviously, the links (and preconditioned strategic needs in them) existed. All this material, for today is the invaluable documentation of history and not yet examined by various representatives of social sciences and humanities, studying the Russian and Middle-Eastern History. Despite all these notes, the major part of photographs remain unidentified in terms of dates and location. The reason is that, on one hand, the “Ermakov collection” includes the work of many other photographers and on the other, Ermakov himself, visited various parts of Turkey repeatedly, produced many images and paid nearly no attention to the precise annotations. Ermakov, who widely practiced photography on his own, also ran commercial photographic studios, worked on official state commission and was engaged in collecting. For this reason mostly, his photography is a subject of continuous misunderstandings, opposing considerations and difficulties of identification. All these photographs and still many more of other subjects can nowadays be found in Ermakov’s 126 commercial albums. They contain the vast amount of photographs of regions and peoples in the Caucasus itself, territories of the empires of Turkey, Russia, Persia and beyond; including today's Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russian provinces of the North Caucasus, countries of the Central Asia, Crimea, Georgia, Northeast of Persia, and nearly half of the whole Turkey. Ermakov's legacy includes tens of thousands of positive prints, glass negatives, stereoscopic images and many albums. Though roughly more than a half of all these, as we stated above already, are not made by him personally. In different cases, images were inherited, purchased by or given for physical preservation and copying to Ermakov, who, according to free attitude to copyrights (common in those times) incorporated them into his vast collection and printed into two printed catalogues of 1896 and 1901, without indicating any authorship of other masters.

A very important amount of photographs, to which Ermakov has precisely erased signatures, while including in the collection, belong to other photographers. So many photographs by other masters are included in the entire collection. Names of more than ten authors of these images are known, but this does not aid the identification of particular images. Ermakov used to label photographs with a bottom-line (seen on negatives, as well as prints), indicating his catalogue number(s), image subject (often with orthographic mistakes), and location (not always). The vast photographic material, depicting the Russo-Turkish War theatre of 1877-1878, before and after it, and the wider region of the front (from the town of Poti in Georgia to Istanbul) can be conditionally organised into the following thematic groups:

1. The Views, cityscapes and landscapes of the territories, deserving the special attention of the strategic plans of the Russian empire, such as Trabzon, Changry, Erzerum, Ordu, Gumush-Khane, Baiburt, Sinop, Unia, Angora, Marsovan and many others. Their urban and suburban areas are been photographed repeatedly and from every possible angle.
2. Fortifications, that, at some point, can be detached from populated sites. These are, sometimes, the historic fortresses, but again very significant as the strategic peaks for artillery and the control over the surrounding lands. Kaladzhik, Sinop, Ardahan, Kaladib, Veli are few of them to name.
3. Antiquities can be treated out of direct politics and strategic plans of Russian Empire, but if we consider the scientific interest in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and later also Byzantine, located on the territory of Turkey, it is not surprising to see various artefacts of architecture or minor arts in photographs.
4. Religion and Diaspora are two of very much interlinked subjects in the photographs and under them we group the mosques, churches and monasteries of various confessions, their graveyards, met on the military pathway of the Russian Army.
5. The Military are of course, in the centre of the attention of war photographers, and as mentioned above repeatedly, they were shown in every possible aspect of their service, as warriors, prisoners, heroes of the war. Further series depict several church services, care for the wounded, the field kitchen etc. Riflemen units or militia, along with the soldiers of the regular army are shown in the photos.
6. The Types is the last and largest group of photographs, as depiction of multiethnic civilians in the whole region of war by both sides of front was a kind of a norm for photographers. These are people of Armenian, Georgian, Greek, Kurdish, Lazi, Russian, and Turkish origin, of various occupations and confessional belonging, carefully sorted in terms of possible loyalty and confrontation to/of the Russian Empire.

All these was a vital part of collecting information, mostly for military and strategic purposes. Initial intelligence meanings of these photographs have later turned to the historical, ethnographic, social history meanings. The studies of photography of the former Russian and Ottoman empires does not have long history, as the world history of photography itself is a relatively newer field of knowledge. However, few facts, known from Ermakov's biography, related to his presence in mentioned territories and the overall scope “Ermakov Collection” should be analyzed properly for further studies. Nowadays, the photographs taken during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, before and after this long-lasting geopolitical event are the invaluable sources of the history of intelligence, topography, cartography, ethnography, and generally the visual history.

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With countless photographs taken in the region of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, the “Ermakov Collection” at the Georgian National Museum is undoubtedly the most important and most informative visual source for those studying the history of confrontation of Ottoman and Russian Empires, social history and material culture of Armenian, Georgian, Greek, Kurd, and Lazi peoples. Yet, many photos should be examined in comparison to other photos in other collections worldwide. It is not surprising, that the final target of the Russian Imperial ambitions, the self-proclaimed “Third Rome, ” was Constantinople referred to as Tsargrad (Russian for "Royal City") and this was preconditioned by the overall Russian political ideology toward the once centre of the Christian world. All the visual recordings referred above, as well as the military campaign in whole, in fact, served to this major purpose.

Homolka Karla and Paul Bernardo case gained a lot of media attention due to the nature of the crime they committed. There is a television show episode that depicts what might have been the origin of the case. In February 1995 media took on the street to advocate for justice for the several people claimed to have been sexually abused and, murdered by Paul Bernardo. This according to the media was the most horrific assault to have been seen in Canada.

The media was significantly involved in building up the pressure to ensure that Paul Bernardo was taken to jail. The press was able to provide the previous records on the murder committed by Mr Paul Bernardo. After Paul was arrested because of the slew of rapes in Scarborough and the pending murder charges Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, the media went ahead to look for the cause of death of Tammy, His wife’s sister. Even though the death was recorded as an accident, the truth was also revealed that Tammy may have been drugged, and raped by Bernardo. This was made possible through the video framing that was found in the small pink house at Port Dalhousie.

The media greatly influenced the public to view Bernardo as a sadistic narcist and a serial killer. Their desire to control the population through continuous showing the torture videotapes and profiling the suspect criminally was aimed at cementing the fact that Bernardo was a serial killer who needs to be punished severely. The media relentlessly sought the out the jurors, victims and their families and the lawyers to alter the facts about the cases.

Due to the intensity of the case, the media played the torture and rape videotapes for 47 days to gain the influence the jury. The publicity of the case made many of the subjects to believe that he was guilty before the trials. The media was able to interview the nearby neighbors and the victims to build up more pressure so that the jury could come up with a deliberate decision that Mr Paul and his wife were all guilty.

The effect of the publicity and framing made most of those who had heard to likely vote for guilty, and the knowledge that Paul had also been charged with another count of rape can account to the final ruling of the court. The criminal profiling of Bernardo by the media creates many controversies that have not yet been proven. For instance, the media had indicated the Paul Bernardo was involved in the death of Tammy without regarding the previous report that the death was accidental was found out to be right and that Homolka had presented her sister as sex gift to her husband.

By negatively portraying the personality of Paul Bernardo significantly prejudiced the court proceedings. Having murdered two girls was not the reason enough to represent the suspect as narcist. The media was giving the historical background of Bernardo and the crimes he had previously committed. The media framed Mr Bernardo as ‘The Scarborough Rapist, thus was aimed at influencing the public in concluding Mr Bernardo was a rapist despite the plea of innocence.

Assessing Entertainment Media relating to Homolka and Bernardo Case

The actions of Karla and Paul Bernardo have been publicized in many ways. The movie Karla filmed in 2006 to provide an insight into what the life of two couple was when they were committing a crime. In the film, Karla is depicted as a sympathetic person. The author shows that Karla was a victim of circumstance and not her real character. In the film, Karla is shown mercy by being given a shorter jail term than what was expected considering the magnitude of her offence. The movie seems to be compassionate to Karla despite her being involved in the murder of two people including her sister. However, despite the leniency, the film provides the series of her action without omitting extreme instances.

Bernardo Paul is considered among the cruelest serial killer. In the 81 minute long movie, the terrible action of Paul is omitted. Most commentators view this as a tone down version of the gruesome event. The movie allocates time for the non-major event in association with Paul Bernardo violence and rape instances. The greatest mishap in the movie is the failure to mention that the videotape that was found. The movie neither gives the background information about Mr Paul Bernardo. The failure to recognize the essence of the videotapes significantly disadvantages the case proceedings. The movie also does not give a chronological order of the events leading to his arrest and sentencing, but it instead reshuffles events after editing the reasons.

The media has the power to alter the truth about a given crime. The movie director and writer were very sympathetic Karla, yet she was an accomplice to Paul Bernard. Media sometimes may fail to include the most outrageous act of criminal or fail to additional evidence that the offence committed was grievous. Entertainment media significantly influences person understanding of the crime a given person has committed. As shown in the movies, the public can understand the background under which the crime was committed.

Most entertainment media sometimes may fail to provide the actual event, and how the crimes were committed, it nonetheless offers a glimpse into the nature of the crime. The myth about the crime as shown in the video includes the decision to depict Karla as an abusive woman weakened by the forceful personality of her husband. The film coaxed the viewer to believe that Karla was forced by her husband to commit the offence. The film depicts Karla as an innocent character something that is not true. The movie does not provide all crimes committed by Bernardo but only the murder of two girls and the sister to her wife.

Review on the documentary of Ronald Dominique

Viewing the documentary of Ronald Dominique, the media did not play an active role in influencing the jury to vote against the accused. Unlike in Karla and Bernardo case, Dominique's case was handled by local media. In fact, when a reporter contacted ‘; The New York’ to run the story, it was dismissed.

The news on the arrest of America’s serial killer Ronald Dominique less newsworthy was because of the timing, Mr Dominique crime has happened in a span of 10myears, and thus it did not attract the public attention. The other issue concerns the human interest, the act of a person talking the lives of fellow countrymen could not elicit more reaction to the general public. In fact, the media wondered why the arrest was long overdue.

The other factor that made Dominique's case not Newsworthy is the nature and the publicity of the person involved. Dominique was a little-known person in the neighborhood, and thus his action was not of significant interest to the media. On the other hand, Holmolka and Bernardo were a well-known couple in the society. And the fact that a wife can willingly give off her sister to her husband as a sex gift is more awkward and likely to evoke public interest and anger.

Happiness is something that is pursued by all humans regardless of demographics, chances are if you are human you desire to be happy in some sort of way. The obsession with attaining and or maintaining happiness is as old as human survival itself, this is just an educated guess just look how far we have come since the stone ages. Humans have created many ways to be happy from simple pleasures to lavish lifestyles all in the pursuit of happiness and mental well-being. Happiness is a state of mind that is hard to measure and when we do appraise our success of attaining happiness in life results will vary from one individual to the other. Some people need so little to be happy while others are never satisfied and find it impossible to reach their desired level of happiness. The one common goal every human has is to achieve happiness some focus on the present while others work hard to hopefully be happy in a near future. The story by Tolstoy “The Death of Ivan Illych” describes the way Ivan measures happiness and why he failed at his lifetime goal. Elmire in Moliere’s “Tartuffe” represents a prime example of living happily even during a tricky situation. Happiness is not a product of favorable circumstances or always making the right decision but to have the ability to value what you have and make the best of it. In this text, I will discuss the contrast between these two characters and the role that a positive state of mind plays in the pursuit of happiness.

Ivan Ilych seems to have followed a guide for success and happiness set by the people whom he considered important and admired. “Neither as a boy nor as a man was he a toady, but from early youth was by nature attracted to people of high station as a fly is drawn to the light, assimilating their ways and views of life and establishing friendly relations with them” (Tolstoy 9). Ivan followed the roadmap that he views as most prosperous to achieve the goal of happiness and in doing so adopted other people perception of what success and happiness should look like. He established at a young age that he would have to work hard to become successful and live a happy and meaningful life. Ivan’s perception of making happiness a goal instead of a present and ongoing state of mind made him lose sight of the simple pleasures of childhood and other stress-free activities.

Elmire’s character in “Tartuffe” is a strong and elegant woman that displays great self-control and resilience when faced with life-changing decisions that would affect her happiness. Unlike Ivan, who is well educated and finished law school in the top of his class, not much is known of Elmires background. Above all Elmire demonstrated more elegance and class in clearing up the misunderstanding with Tartuffe. Her knowledge of people especially men and their weakness gave the confidence to outmaneuver Tartuffe and expose him to her husband. Not only was she witty and astute but made the best of the situation instead of allowing herself to be harassed by Tartuffe she took advantage of the situation to solve another problem that was affecting her present happiness. That problem was the marriage of Valere and Mariane. “Some might take offense at your confession, But I will show a definite discretion, and keep my husband in the dark about These sinful feelings for me that you spout. But I want something from you in return: There’s a promised marriage, you will learn, that supersedes my husband’s recent plan — The marriage of Valère and Mariane. This marriage you will openly support, without a single quibble, and, in short, Renounce the unjust power of a man Who’d give his own daughter, Mariane, to another when she’s promised to Valère. In return, my silence” (Moliere 38). Elmire demonstrated resiliency and the will to maintain her happy life at all cause. As the common phrase says, “when life gives you lemons make lemonade”. In contrast with Elmire’s perception of happiness, Ivan’s approach to marriage was a hasty decision and just another milestone of things successful and happy people should do. The reality of the commitment of marriage although had its benefits was at times unpleasant to handle. “Very soon, within a year of his wedding, Ivan Ilych had realized that marriage, though it may add some comforts to life, is, in fact, a very intricate and difficult affair towards which in order to perform one's duty, that is, to lead a decorous life approved of by society, one must adopt a definite attitude just as towards one's official duties” (Tolstoy 13).

Elmire exemplified a state of happiness as she always looked at the bright side of things. Her optimistic attitude helped her live a less stressful life. Elmire exhibited many habits of happy people and took pleasures in making people comfortable. Elmire was very mindful of what was better for her family and how to maintain the peace. In the last act, her last words are very fitting to her character "A happy ending! (Moliere 73).

Ivan idea of happiness was mainly in the satisfaction of being effective at work, good times with friends and the game of cards this passage tells us exactly how Ivan view and felt happiness “his masterly handling of cases, of which he was conscious — all this gave him pleasure and filled his life, together with chats with his colleagues, dinners, and bridge” (Tolstoy 18).

Happiness is not about joyful moments all the time is about making the best with the current situation. Elmire’s character more successful than Ivan Ilych in living a life of happiness and maintaining the one that they had already built. Elmire surpassed Ivan in the pursuit of happiness, although it was only a moment of her life compared to the life story of Ivan. She was able to show her spirit and attitude towards living a meaningful and happy life.

Table of contents

1. The human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization method
2. Inhibition of protein denaturation
3. Antiproteinase action
4. Anti-lipoxygenase activity

The human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization method

The blood was collected from healthy human volunteer and equal volume of Alsever’s solution (2 % dextrose, 0.8 % sodium citrate, 0.5 % citric acid and 0.42 % NaCl) was mixed with it and centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 10 min. The obtained packed cells were washed with normal saline and a 10% HRBC suspension was made. Various concentrations of AOAgNPs were prepared (50,100,150,200 and 500 µg ml-1) using distilled water. A mixture of 1 ml of phosphate buffer, 2 ml of hypo saline and 0.5 ml of HRBC suspension ( of above said various concentrations) was made. It was incubated for 30 at 37°C min and centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 20 min. The absorbance of supernatant solution was measured spectrophotometrically at 560 nm (Kamalutheen et al., 2009). Diclofenac sodium was taken as standard drug. The experiment was repeated three times.

Inhibition of protein denaturation

To study the inhibitory effect on protein denaturation, AOAgNPs were added to 1% aqueous solution of BSA and pH of the reaction mixture was adjusted. The sample mixtures were incubated at 37°C for 20 min and then again heated to 51°C for 20 min. After cooling the turbidity of the samples was measured spectrophotometrically at 660 nm (Deshpande et al.,2009). Diclofenac sodium was used as a standard drug. The experiment was done in triplicate manner.

Antiproteinase action

Antiproteinase activity of AOAgNPs was estimated according to the modified method of Sakat et al. 2010. At first, 2 ml of reaction mixture was prepared containing0.06 mg/ml trypsin, 1 ml of 20 mM Tris HCl buffer (pH 7.4) and 1 ml of AOAgNPs at different concentrations (100 - 500 µg ml-1).The mixture was incubated at 37°C for 5 min and then 1 ml of 0.8% (w/v) casein was added to it and incubated for 20 min. After that to arrest the reaction,2 ml of 70% perchloric acid was added to it. Then the whole suspension was centrifuged and the absorbance was measured at 210 nm. Indomethacin was used as a standard drug. The percentage inhibition of proteinase inhibitory activity was calculated using following formula.

Anti-lipoxygenase activity

Anti-lipoxygenase activity of AOAgNPs was studied using linoleic acid as substrate and lipoxidase as enzyme (Shinde et al. 1999). Samples were dissolved in 250µl of 2M borate buffer (pH 9.0) and 250µl of lipoxidase enzyme solution (20,000U/ml) and were incubated for 5 min at 25°C. After that, 1.0ml of lenoleic acid solution (0.6mM) was added, mixed well and absorbance was measured at 234nm. Indomethacin was used as standard drug and the percent inhibition was calculated from the above mentioned formula.

The various groups of people that have existed throughout history (both groups that no longer exist, and groups that are still in existence today) have a number of things in common, as well as a multitude of differences. Two important aspects of the cultures of the ancient and currently existing cultures and populations that are seemingly intertwined are religion and art. These two aspects are closely related and, from a purely cultural standpoint, are practically synonymous because, in cultures such as African, Native American, and Ancient Egyptian culture, works of art that the people of these cultures created are used to express the people’s religious beliefs and preferences. One can easily argue that, without these works of art and the different media used to create them, religion and religious practice would not exist in such cultures.

The Yoruba culture of Nigeria is a good example of a culture whose people express their beliefs through art. Starting in the 12th century A.D., up to the 15th century, the Yoruba people created a number of copper alloy head sculptures and other similar terracotta sculptures of a style known as Ife. In addition to these head sculptures, there exist a number of full-body sculptures, or standing Oni statues, of about 18 inches in height. The proportions of these standing Oni statues are such that the head of the sculpture is much larger in proportion to the body. This is because, in Yoruba culture, there is a large emphasis in the importance of the head and that which lies within it. The Yoruba people believe that the inside of one’s head is where his mind lies, which determines his destiny and future. Yoruba art and the presence of many pieces and sculptures highlighting the human head is a reflection of this belief alone. The Yoruba people also believe that twins are sacred beings. This belief is also reflected in their art. The birth of twins is something that is associated with much celebration and festivity in Yoruba culture. However, when a twin dies, the mother must replace the twin with an Ibeji Twin Figure. This is because, according to the Yoruba people, the spirit of twin still exists and must be cared for just as the remaining twin continues to be cared for. The mother typically purchases the twin doll from a market and, through ritual process, the deceased twin’s spirit is placed into the doll.

In Native American culture, the people also expressed their beliefs in artistic ways. The use of Kachina dolls in Native American rituals, for example, is one such instance in which art was used for religious purposes. Kachina dolls, common among the Hopi people of the southwest United States, were constructed of various media such as wood, leather, feathers, and paint. They were constructed by the fathers of young girls of Hopi tribes and were given to the girls to be taken care of and treated as though they were animate beings. The Hopi people also believed that each Kachina doll was related to some real-world aspect, such as weather, crops, the sun, the moon, etc. Therefore, it was believed that, if the Kachina dolls were taken good care of by their owners, they would bring good fortune related to the real-world aspect that they represented. Another example of Native American art that played an important role in religious practice is the mounds of the Eastern Woodland, particularly, the Serpent Mound. While little is known about this mound, one can argue that it played an important part in religious practices of the people who created it because of its intricate design, as well as the existence of numerous native American artifacts located around the mound, which may have been given as religious offerings.

Because many primitive cultures that express their religious beliefs through art still exist today, one can easily gain an understanding of their religious practices firsthand. However, because Ancient Egyptian culture no longer exists, its religious practices and rituals are no longer displayed. Art that has survived several thousand years is the only evidence of religious practice, and because this art still exists, one can still obtain a relatively accurate understanding of how religious and ceremonial practices were performed. Many paintings and wall sculptures, which explicitly show how specific traditions were carried out, and how significant events in Ancient Egyptian history occurred. A wall carving, dated from 1353-1336 BC, depicting the mourning and burial of the Royal Princess Meketaten, for example, shows ample details of the burial, such as how many people were present, and what sorts of items were left in Meketaten’s tomb. Without this single wall carving, there would be little or no evidence of the mourning and burial of the Royal Princess. This wall carving also shows the members of the royal family in order of importance. The King Akhenaten is the largest figure in the craving, followed by the Queen Nefertiti, the second largest figure on the carving. This correlates with the religious beliefs of the King Akhenaten at this time. Because he established his monotheistic religion, he is the most important, and therefore, the largest figure in all carvings or paintings in which he is depicted. This is also seen in another sandstone wall carving of the king and his family, also dated from 1353-1336 BC. This elaborate craving shows the royal family offering lotus flowers to the sun god Aten. Akhenaten is at the front of the family and is the largest figure, followed by the Queen Nefertiti. The smallest figures are, of course the daughters of the king and queen. The lotus flowers that the family is offering to the sun god symbolize creation and prosperity. The royal family offers these flowers to the sun god so that he will return their gifts with life, which is represented in many stone carvings and paintings as an anch.

The works mentioned above are clearly crucial to the religious practices their respective cultures perform. However, one is forced to ask whether or not the people of their cultures actually view these objects as works of art, or simply as things necessary for religious practice. Unlike modern-day work of art, which are most commonly observed and displayed, the work created by the above cultures are actually used, rather than displayed or left for observation. The fact that such works are intricate and took copious amounts of skill and experience to make is undeniable, but whether or not their people viewed these works as art is highly debatable.

According to the online sources, BMW Group has around 13,000 suppliers located globally. BMW adds value on to its inbound logistic primary activity by the use of minimizing the costs of transportation and sourcing the raw materials of the highest quality. Because most of manufacturing and assembly units are based in Germany and Europe and they tried to keep good relationship with trusted suppliers in order to reduce the costs of logistics. BMW Company purchases most of its raw materials from Germany (42.6%) and Eastern Europe (19.7%). This is because the majority of manufacturing and assembly units are based in Germany and Europe and the company purchases from trusted suppliers in close proximity in order to reduce the costs of logistics and ensure an undisputed supply.

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BMW Group is divided into the following four business segments:

1. Automotive. In 2015, this segment generated the gross profit margin of 17.7 per cent.
2. Motorcycles. Gross profit margin in motorcycles segment in 2015 amounted to 22.5 per cent.
3. Financial Services. This segment deals with providing credit financing and leasing for BMW Group brand cars and motorcycles to retail customers. Gross profit margin in financial services segment equaled to 13.3 per cent in 2015.
4. Other Entities. In 2015, this segment generated EUR 211 million profit before tax, which is EUR 57 million higher than the previous year.

BMW runs a complex manufacturing network in 30 sites in 14 countries. The company opened its latest engine plant in Shenyang, China in January 2016. In terms of sales BMW Group is represented in more than 150 countries worldwide.

BMW Group adds value to its operations primary activity mainly via the use of robotics technologies to a considerable extent. For example, “robots work with a door sealant that keeps sound and water out of the car. The goal of this implantation is not to replace human workers, but to help them in their daily tasks”. Moreover, as part of the most recent developments, BMW Group is testing a number of autonomous vehicles on its factory floors as part of an automation drive that is expected to help cut costs by 5% per vehicle annually.

BMW Group global distribution network comprises about 3,310 BMW, 1,550 MINI and 140 Rolls-Royce dealerships. In China alone, around 60 BMW dealerships were opened in 2015. The dealership and agency network for BMW i-comprises about 950 locations. In total, about 63.1 per cent of new vehicles are transported out of manufacturing plants by rail. BMW Group exercises three patterns of vehicle distribution from the assembly line to the final user.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
ObjectivesMethodologyImplications
2. References

Introduction

300w Surgical site infections (SSI) are commonest nosocomial infections after Urinary tract infections (UTI), responsible for increasing cost, substantial morbidity and occasional mortality related to surgical operations and continue to be major problem even in hospital with most modern facilities and standard protocols of pre operative preparation and antibiotic prophylaxis 7 . Surgical site infections (SSIs) are defined as infections occurring up to 30 days after surgery (or up to one year after surgery in patients receiving implants) and affecting either the incision or deep tissue at the operation site.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition describes three levels of SSI:

1. Superficial: affecting the skin and subcutaneous tissue
2. Deep: affecting the facial and muscle layers
3. Organ or space infection, which involves any part of the anatomy other than the incision that is opened or manipulated during the surgical procedure, for example joint or peritoneum.

Despite advances in surgical techniques and improvements in preventive measures SSIs remain a significant clinical problem as they are associated with substantial mortality and morbidity and impose severe demands on healthcare resources.

• • It has an adverse impact on the hospital as well as on the patient [1] SSI are associated with significant risk of readmissions, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, long-term complications, and death.
  • It is responsible for increasing length of stay of patient which results in social and economic loss to the patients and family
  • SSI is the index of the health care system of any hospital.

SSI remain a substantial cause of morbidity and death, possibly because of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant micro-organisms, larger numbers of elderly surgical patients or those with a variety of chronic and immune compromising conditions, diabetes and greater use of prosthetic implants and organ transplantation 8 With the increase in incidence of nosocomial infections and multi drug resistance, a meticulous and periodic surveillance of various hospital acquired infections is called for. With an active Infection Control team operating in the hospital, SSI is naturally one of the topmost priorities on the agenda. Hence the following study is important

Objectives

To study the incidence of surgical site infections at bhaskar general hospital. To study the etiological and risk factors for surgical site infections at bhaskar general hospital.To identify the modifiable factors for surgical site infections in our hospital, and recommend measures to decrease the incidence of SSI.

Methodology

A cross sectional study will be conducted in departments of general surgery, orthopedics, gyenacology and obstetrics, for a period of 60 days at Bhaskar general hospital. The details of the patients undergoing surgery in these departments will be recorded and the patient is followed up till the time of discharge. During post operative period any signs of SSI are noted and culture swabs will be sent appropriately. The treatment given will be noted and the culture reports are analyzed. The co-morbid conditions and risk factors are noted and will be analyzed .the preoperative prophylactic antibiotics and degree of intraoperative prophylactic contaminants will also be noted and analyzed

It is an observational/ cross sectional study carried out at departments of gyenacology and obstetrics, general surgery, orthopedics, at Bhaskar general hospital,telangana,India. It is a 300 bedded tertiary care centre and a teaching hospital. Patients data who have undergone surgery for a period of 60 days is carried out for this study, after obtaining informed consent to be a part of the study, data were collected as per a predesigned questionnaire for all the patients. Risk factors, like patient characteristics (Age, Sex,medical background), surgical site indications, morbidity, type of wound, type of anesthesia, prophylactic/post operative antibiotics, date of surgery, duration of surgery were systematically analyzed and plotted to predict SSI. After surgery, follow up checkup done every 24 hours for 7 days continuously as per CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) for signs of SSI. If SSI is noticed samples of pus is collected and sent for microbiology culture, Speciation is done at microbiology department for commonest organisms among the culture are found out and immediate follow-up treatment is done. Patients were followed up after discharge

Implications

The data collected will be analyzed to identify the etiological and risk factors for surgical site infections. The recommendations will be drafted regarding modifiable factors to decrease the incidence of SSI The successful implementation may decrease the surgical site infections in bhaskar general hospital. The recommendations may be applicable to other hospitals of similar environment.The recommendations can help in preparing national guidelines to decrease SSI, thus contributing to the health care system in our country

References

1. Surgical site infections: A one year prospective study in a tertiary care center Dr. Varsha Shahane,* Dr. Saikat Bhawal,** and Mr. Upendra Lele https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3523786/#b1-9

2. https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/59/9/1272/419482

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19022115

4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/surgical-site-infection

5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53724/

6. http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/articles/2003/04/prevention-of-surgical-site-infections.aspx

7. SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS: INCIDENCE AND RISK FACTORS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, WESTERN INDIA Patel Sachin M1, Patel Mitesh H2, Patel Sangeeta D3, Soni Sumeeta T4, Kinariwala Dipa M3, Vegad Mahendra M5

8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4702440/

Table of contents

1. Introduction
Income Inequality and Social WelfareIncome Inequality and Career WellbeingPhysical Wellbeing and Income Inequality
2. Conclusion

Introduction

There is no precise explanation of the term well-being. Many authors have tried to define the phrase according to their perception. Welfare is vital for individuals as well as for many segments of society because it indicates that their life is faring well. It also helps in determining the future of a nation, society or an individual. Things like proper living conditions such as employment and shelter are essential to wellbeing, while things such income inequality have negative impact on wellbeing. However, a general clarification relates welfare to positive feelings and sensations such as happiness in the absence of negative feelings like depression. For one to claim that a nation, community or an individual is well-being, there ought to be the presence of universal verdicts of life fulfillment as well as feelings varying from despair to joy.

There are various aspects for scrutinizing features of welfare that entail economic, physical, psychological, social, life satisfaction, and emotional well-being among others. On the other hand, the UK uses ten broad dimensions to examine well-being. The dimensions include personal well-being, the natural environment, health, shelter, occupation, our relationships, the economy, personal finance, education, supremacy and skills. As for this study, it will focus on the three elements of the wellbeing of Gallup that entail social, career, and physical wellbeing. After conducting a detailed study in more than 150 nations, Gallup found these elements to be interrelated in shaping people’s lives. Income entails returns from salaries, interest on a saving account, profits from goods sold and many more. Income inequality is considered as a situation whereby there is an uneven distribution of income among people in a society or nation.

Income Inequality and Social Welfare

Globally, inequality issues have gained attention. They affect development as well as the welfare of a population. The gap can be either at the high notch or the bottom thus creating a void on the middle-income cluster thus resulting to social tension that may lead to political insecurity as well as social clashes (Kakwani & Son, n.d.). Inequality causes stagnancy in the attempt of lessening poverty rate along with economic progress.

A good income allows an individual to have control over goods and services thus making one feel happy (Kakwani & Son, n.d.). As long as the inequality in income distribution keeps on growing, there will be a rise in insecurity issues such as crime and theft to meet daily needs. People will be forced to engage in malicious activities for survival. Therefore, a state or society should thrive to cut the roots of inequality to restore peace and security among its inhabitants.

Various indicators can tell whether a society has social welfare or not. The symbols are categorized as non-material and material welfare (Kakwani & Son, n.d.). Material wellbeing centralizes on income that allows one to access goods and services that enables individuals to live comfortably. Non-material welfare does not focus on profit but instead on health, living conditions as well as education. On the health sector, there is newborn and child endurance rate that helps determine how efficient the medical facilities are within a society. Proper sanitation also boosts the health of children. Contrary to the health of these infants and children can be at risk if there is inadequate sanitation, contaminated water and malnutrition thus affecting the social welfare of children in the society.

Education is also another non-material social indicator. People consider education as a means of attaining higher paying jobs. When an individual gets a well-paying job, his or her living standards are raised because he or she receives an income that allows one to consume commodities and services that they need or want. Education makes one literate thus appreciated or acknowledged in the society. With proper learning, one can express his or her views freely in the community. It enables a person to interact freely with people of different status in the society because of one’s broad knowledge.

Good jobs enhance a good living condition with better pay. With a better income, one can live in an area with proper sanitation and clean water. However, poor sanitation and contaminated water affect the wellbeing of human beings. The income dramatically influences the welfare of people in that it is gained through the labor market. The population that is likely to suffer is those unemployed. They cannot live a better life. They are unable to attain the goods and services that complement their lives.

Income Inequality and Career Wellbeing

One’s occupation or just liking your daily activities defines career welfare (Inc., n.d.). Individual’s well-being can only be determined by asking the individuals question like if they enjoy their daily activities (Jones & Jones, 2016). Be it a student, volunteer, parent, guardian or retiree, one has daily activities that he or she attends to when they wake up (“Career Well-Being,” n.d.). In simple terms, it is simply feeling good about your occupation (“Career Well-Being,” n.d.). Usually, most people underrate their jobs as an aspect of determining their welfare. If one experiences a career wellbeing, he or she is likely to succeed in his or her life because of being happy and comfortable with their daily occupation.

Career welfare affects people’s financial, social, physical and community wellbeing (“Career Well-Being,” n.d.). When a person has a job that he or she loves, they can live a life that they desire and access commodities and services that enable them to live comfortably. It also influences the financial wellbeing of people. Good paying jobs raise the living standards of people in society. Whether a person is unemployed or not, the daily activities count on boosting the physical welfare of a person. Sitting around does not count because it does not add value to the health of an individual. A person earning a low income cannot live a better life because of money matters when it comes to accessing goods and services that complement life. With little or no income, people cannot be of the same social class. There will always be a gap between the high and middle-class income people. With less pay, one cannot access proper medical care to support one’s physical welfare.

Physical Wellbeing and Income Inequality

Physical welfare is having excellent health as well as adequate energy to attend to personal activities (Inc., n.d.). Better economic inequality seems to provoke worse physical condition outcomes. Income inequality does not mean poverty because not everybody that is poor is unhealthy. However, this inequality leads to stress thus causing depression disorder. It also provokes fear and insecurity in beings. One cannot be emotionally and mentally stable if he or she cannot meet his or her needs to live a healthy life. According to economists and specialists, people living in poor societies are likely to experience shorter life spans than people living in good societies. Therefore, the lower the inequality level, the higher the chances of living longer.

Conclusion

Wellbeing captures a broad understanding of being well it is closely linked to elements that contribute to a good quality of life. It is a blend of physical, emotional, psychological and social factors, but can easily be undermined which detracts from the quality of a person’s life. One of the factors influencing one's wellbeing is income inequality. It can affect different aspects of a person's wellbeing, including social, career, and physical welfare.

The speaker in John Donne’s poem “Love’s Diet” distances himself from his current relationship as his attitude towards love shifts from inconvenience to indifference with intermediary steps of defensive attacks. The speaker Donne presents does not have complete control over his emotions, and even shows subtle signs of fear at emotions like rejection. The lack of control, however, leads to feelings of annoyance because the speaker has become so consumed by love that he no longer has the ability to concentrate on other activities. The speaker then begins to distance himself from his lover by metaphorically placing his love on a diet in order to attain a state of indifference towards love and avoid the pain of rejection at the hands of an unfaithful mistress.

Giving no indication of the reason for his annoyance with love, the speaker still clearly establishes his emotions. In the opening lines of the poem, he uses verbose language to describe love as “a cumbersome unwieldiness / And burdenous corpulence” (Donne 104, 1-2) to indicate that the relationship has become troublesome for him. In the following lines the speaker sees a need to lessen his love “and keep it in proportion” (Donne 104, 4), suggesting that corpulent love consumes the speaker so much that he cannot carry on other activities. With four lines of background information the speaker then introduces the metaphor of the diet for his love. The use of this metaphor works effectively for the speaker because as the personified version of excessive love diminishes physically on the diet, the speaker achieves greater emotional distance from his lover and nears a state of indifference.

The speaker distances himself from his current relationship by both curtailing his own responses to love and by refusing to accept his mistress’ signs of affection. The second, third, and fourth stanzas of “Love’s Diet” all follow a set pattern that shows the speaker struggling to keep his love on the diet in the first three lines of the stanza before assuring himself that his mistress does not actually show favor to him alone. In the second stanza, the speaker proclaims that he does not allow his love to have more than one sigh a day (Donne 104, 7). Though love is still present, the speaker begins to exert more control over love, especially when he interacts with the mistress. When the mistress sighs and love would go against the diet to feast on her displays, the speaker “let him see / ‘Twas neither very sound, nor meant for me” (Donne 104, 11-12). The speaker, having already devised a way to diminish his emotions, must confront those of his lady. He convinces himself that her sigh, which previously would have been fodder for love, was not even directed to him.

The speaker distances himself from the traditional activities associated with love as the pattern of denial continues in the third and fourth stanzas. The speaker claims that if love provoked weeping he “brin’d [the tear] so / With scorn and shame, that him it nourish’d not” (Donne 104, 13-14). The excessively salty tears would keep love on a strict diet, though the attitude toward love shows that the speaker is becoming pompous in his method of distancing himself from the relationship. The speaker also asserts his control over love by sustaining an attitude of contempt towards his lady’s actions. When she cries the speaker attacks her fidelity because her “eyes which roll towards all, weep not, but sweat” (Donne 104, 18). The strike against his lover’s fidelity is a new element to the poem. In the second stanza the speaker makes no mention of to whom the sighs were directed, but here the speaker includes another collective group of men with whom his lady presumably has relationships as well. The speaker includes an element of defensiveness in his attempts to distance himself from love.

The defensive measures of the speaker extend into the fourth stanza. According to the parameters of the speaker’s pattern, he begins by boldly stating that he burnt the letters that love had him write (Donne 104, 20). Though he has prevented contact by burning the letters, the speaker still wrote them in the first place. Even in previous stanzas, the speaker has continued performing the actions associated with love despite his claims that his love is on a diet. The speaker has also continued to scrutinize his lady’s responses against the original intent of distancing himself from her. The defensive measures he employs as he denies his mistress’ affections culminate in the question he asks at the end of the fourth stanza, “what doth it avail / To be the fortieth name in an entail (Donne 105, 23-24)? According to the speaker, his lover writes to many people, and of them he is at the bottom of the list. The reference to “an entail” points to the process of inheriting land, which the speaker uses in the poem as the non-existent chance he has for being with his lady because his name is fortieth on the list. The question, while not an outright attack as seen earlier, echoes the lover’s infidelity and the speaker’s attempts to distance himself.

Though the speaker tries to distance himself from his relationship, he still pays a great amount of attention to his mistress throughout the poem. He describes love as a burden (Donne 104, 1) but for a span of three stanzas watches for his lady’s sighs, tears, and letters. Interaction continues despite the debate of her fidelity because the speaker refuses to actually end the relationship. The concept of a diet implies that the speaker only distances himself but has no intention to depart because the diet is not meant to lead to death. The speaker cannot destroy his emotions, but in the question of the fourth stanza, his defensive measures of attack shift to the realization that caring too much does him no good (Donne 104, 23-24). The answer to his question lies in acquiring an attitude of indifference.

Though the speaker has proven in previous stanzas that he cannot effectively end the relationship because he still pays attention to his mistress; despite his assertions that love inconveniences him, the speaker develops an attitude of indifference. The speaker opens the last stanza with a birding metaphor. He asserts that “Thus I reclaim’d my buzzard love to fly / At what, and when, and how, and where I choose” (Donne 105, 25-26). His love, once incapable of direction and precision, now resembles the tame falcon that hunts with keen observation. The speaker, however, claims to resemble the owner of the falcon who can carry out the actions of love as a hunter might behave on a hunt. Love, which once inconvenienced the speaker, now does not consume him and keep him from other activities because the speaker says that he can, “spring a mistress, swear, write, sigh, and weep: / And the game kill’d, or lost, go talk and sleep” (Donne 105, 29-30). Whether the speaker is successful or not in acquiring a mistress, it makes no difference to him because he has reached the point where love is an isolated activity that has no bearing on the rest of his life. The birding metaphor allows the speaker to transition from a person still controlled by love to a person capable of an existence outside of it.

At the beginning of “Love’s Diet” the speaker devised a goal of keeping his love in proportion, but by the end of the poem he claims to be completely indifferent. Not only does the speaker take control of his emotions, he finally regards love as a type of sport. This transition comes suddenly after the speaker devotes so much time to his mistress and his own emotional responses to her. The speaker resorts to distancing himself emotionally so that he does not get hurt by his mistress’ assumed infidelity and the amount of himself that he has placed in the “burdenous corpulence” (Donne 104, 2) of his love. Though the speaker would assert that he is a master of love, his transformation into the hunter cannot be admired because instead of just ending the relationship he continues it. The speaker successfully distances himself and eliminates the possible pain of rejection through indifference, but his difficult transition and attention to her actions suggests that he cares more for his mistress than he cares to admit.

Work Cited

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Donne, John. “Love’s Diet”. John Donne’s Poetry. Ed. Donald R. Dickson. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2007. 104-5.